The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.7 percent, in August 2026

In August 2026, the District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.7 percent. South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in August, 2.0 percent, followed by North Dakota, 2.2 percent. The rate in Ohio (3.3 percent) set a new series low. (All state series begin in 1976.) In total, 19 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.1 percent, 6 states and the District had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.

In August, eight states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases: Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and the District (−0.2 percentage point each) and Florida, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington (−0.1 point each). Forty-two states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes.

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia had lower unemployment rates than in August 2025. The largest decreases were in New Jersey (−1.2 percentage points) and Ohio (−1.1 points). Ten states had over-the-year rate increases, with the largest in Connecticut (+1.0 percentage point) and Oklahoma (+0.9 point). Twenty-six states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a year earlier.

These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "State Employment and Unemployment — August 2026."  We also have more maps and charts of state employment and unemployment data.